Teledyne Marine outlines how coordinated autonomous surface and subsea systems were used to conduct environmental monitoring for floating offshore wind development as part of NOWRDC Project 406. Read more >>
The offshore demonstration combined multiple environmental sensing capabilities with testing of underwater acoustic communications between the platforms.
Evaluating Autonomous Environmental Monitoring for Offshore Wind
Floating offshore wind projects require extensive environmental monitoring to support permitting activities and characterize conditions around offshore installations. Traditional vessel-based monitoring can involve significant cost and operational complexity, particularly for projects located farther offshore.
NOWRDC Project 406 was established to evaluate whether autonomous systems could reduce monitoring costs, extend survey coverage, and improve the repeatability and reliability of offshore environmental observations.
The project brought together Teledyne Marine Slocum gliders for subsurface monitoring and Open Ocean Robotics’ DataXplorer Uncrewed Surface Vehicle (USV), combining subsurface and surface environmental monitoring capabilities.
Following sensor integration and system testing, the autonomous platforms were deployed from August 26 through September 10, 2026, within offshore Lease Area OCS-P 0562, approximately 32 to 56 km northwest of Humboldt Bay, California.
Collecting Environmental Data Across Surface & Subsea Platforms
During the offshore demonstration, the autonomous platforms gathered a range of environmental measurements using multiple sensing technologies.
Oceanographic observations included temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen measurements, alongside biological imagery and active acoustic measurements. The platforms also collected passive acoustic marine mammal detection data, environmental DNA (eDNA) samples, and continuous underwater acoustic data.
These observations were complemented by measurements of atmospheric and surface conditions, including wind speed, wind direction, air temperature, and barometric pressure.
The demonstration encountered strong ocean currents of approximately 0.35 to 0.45 m/s, requiring modifications to the original survey plan. The Slocum glider thrusters were activated to improve vehicle control, while operators adjusted mission patterns to maintain the glider within the operational area and near the DataXplorer USV.
A central component of the offshore demonstration involved testing underwater acoustic communications between the Slocum glider and the DataXplorer USV. The team achieved successful underwater acoustic communications during the mission, including the transmission of marine mammal detection data from the glider to the surface vehicle.
Results & Implications for Offshore Environmental Monitoring
The demonstration completed autonomous vehicle operations and sensor data collection under real-world offshore conditions. It showed how coordinated autonomous surface and subsea platforms can support persistent environmental monitoring using multiple sensors while adapting to changing ocean conditions, mission priorities, and communications requirements.
Autonomous monitoring systems have the potential to extend offshore environmental observations, reduce reliance on crewed vessels, and support more scalable and repeatable data collection. Analysis of the collected sensor data remains ongoing, with the project’s data analysis and final reporting scheduled for 2027.
Read ‘Autonomous Environmental Monitoring for Floating Offshore Wind’ for more information.
